How Did I Become an F1 Driver?-Chapter 857 - 6/16)_3

In short, everyone at Mercedes is now counting on this car to lead them to their ninth constructor's championship.

The only thing worth mentioning is that when Qin Miao saw the car and its connection method to the rear floor in the team's workshop, he still felt that the design concept of this car wasn't particularly good.

Qin Miao thinks the chassis of the W13 is a big problem.

This is not only Qin Miao's intuition as a driver but also a feeling brought to him by the aerospace knowledge he gained after being systematically taught flying experience.

But if Qin Miao were to voice his doubts at this time, it would have no meaning, because the car design is finalized and right in front of him.

Saying it at this point would not bring any benefit besides demoralizing the team's staff.

Even if Toto completely trusted Qin Miao, once Qin Miao expressed his doubts, Toto would immediately take the car design department and scrap the zero-sidepod concept of the car.

However, car design is a systematic project.

You can't just discard a sidepod and design a new one.

Changes to the sidepod directly affect the car's weight, tire load, weight distribution, overall aerodynamic efficiency, and even the consistency of the car while driving.

In short, an F1 car is a highly complex big machine, where a change in one part can have massive ripple effects.

Discarding the zero-sidepod concept now would basically mean starting from scratch designing a car to be used three months after the end of the 2021 season.

Even for Mercedes, a car designed in such a short time wouldn't perform much better than Haas's car and would have to rely on the Mercedes engine's performance to force its way on the track.

Sometimes, until you face cold reality and hit a proverbial wall, neither people nor teams will turn back.

"How are you feeling about the new car?" Mike Elliott stood beside Qin Miao proudly asking about the car he led the design of. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

After this season, personnel changes at Mercedes were inevitable.

Mike Elliott became the new Technical Director, starting to lead Mercedes' car design and became the top technical position in the team.

James Allison, meanwhile, was promoted to the team's Chief Technical Officer, with Mike Elliott needing to report to him.

Everyone else's position remained unchanged, but salaries increased to varying degrees.

Words not conducive to unity should be unsaid, so Qin Miao nodded against his heart and said, "It's very innovative, I hope its performance on the track is better than in the wind tunnel and CFD."

"Of course, we are very confident about that! The simulator data and wind tunnel have consistently demonstrated the excellence of our car design."

Qin Miao nodded and then asked curiously, "Has the team considered, if the zero-sidepod concept of the car really succeeds and our car again becomes the fastest in the paddock, might the FIA change the sidepod regulations, banning this concept for the 2023 season?"

Qin Miao's words were spot-on, and after hearing them, Elliott immediately began to ponder.

Qin Miao's words were indeed reasonable, as the FIA has done similar things, like shortening car floors because Mercedes' floor was too strong.

Moreover, Mercedes' design stands out as unconventional, essentially exploiting loopholes in the rules.

If other teams explicitly express opposition, the FIA might not withstand the pressure from other sides.

After contemplating for a while, although unwilling, Elliott said, "You're right, there is indeed such a possibility…"

"But honestly, we subconsciously ignored this consideration." Elliott said, "Moreover, Qin Miao, you have to know the W13 is very complete now, only needing basic repairs and modifications to start track testing."

At this point, we don't have the time or budget to overhaul this design plan.

And even if the situation you mentioned occurs, the FIA would at least give us a year to prepare and design a new car."

Qin Miao nodded and didn't delve further into the topic, instead asking, "Has the car data been imported into the simulator? I'd like to test the W13's driving feel."

Elliott's smile returned: "Certainly, if you want, you can go to the simulator department right now. Your words enlightened me; I feel the need to verify some ideas in my mind."

What Qin Miao didn't know is that Elliot indeed realized flaws in his design but didn't intend to inform Toto, planning to continue optimizing the car's performance based on the zero-sidepod as per the original plan.

It's not that Elliott isn't worried about FIA's penalties but that Mercedes indeed can't turn back now.